Kylian Mbappe’s decision to turn down Real Madrid and renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain has made him the highest-paid athlete in the world according to Marca.
The 23-year-old has committed to the French club until the summer of 2025, a timeframe that will encapsulate the World Cup in Qatar and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Last January, Forbes produced a list of the top-earning athletes in the world including earnings inside and outside of football.
Lionel Messi leads the way with €130m, LeBron James is second with €120m, Cristiano Ronaldo is third with €107m, Neymar Junior is fourth with €90m and Steph Curry is fifth with €89m. Mbappe will surpass them all.
Contrary to what has been reported, Mbappe is not going to become a kind of sporting director at the Parc des Princes. Nasser Al-Khelaifi is still going to be calling the shots although he has granted Mbappe the presence of Luis Campos as a well-placed advisor.
The first task they will face is rebuilding a damaged dressing room. In pushing so hard to convince Mbappe to stay Al-Khelaifi tread on the toes of Messi and Neymar.
From now on both men are cogniscent of the fact that they will be performing a secondary role in a sporting and economic sense. The players return to work on July fourth.
